In an experimental new move, Facebook is testing a new option for its users to link Groups and Pages together. It is a move that could have significant and widespread results for businesses across the Social Media platform, and it’s another example of Facebook continuing to update their domination of the market.
Facebook Groups has over a billion monthly active users, is built on the biggest social network in the world by a significant margin, and is constantly updating its platform to incorporate multiple features.
This is a significant step – up till now Pages have not been able to post in groups, the only way to join a group was by using a personal profile. You’ll also, according to this, be able to directly link to Groups from your Page, adding another direct connection feature for businesses.
This would provide a whole new dimension for brands on Facebook and a new way to connect with your audience. At this stage, it is only in the testing phases but once refined it will change the way groups are used – which may prove very beneficial for business.
The update is part of Facebook’s wider push on Groups. Facebook noted in January last year that Groups is an ‘under-appreciated’ product, and that they could do a better job at ensuring people understand Groups.
Along with last week’s news on Facebook Stories, it does seem that Facebook is not resting on their laurels in their quest for complete Social Media dominance.
HUGE news for Businesses
There are already a huge number of examples of brand support Groups – being able to post as a Page within such groups would enhance this capacity on Facebook, ensuring community members know that this is an official brand response. There are also product-related communities, industry-relevant discussions, hobbies and interest-based communities, all of which your brand could be involved with and offer assistance, as you see fit.
The risk is that this becomes a spam-fest – that businesses use their Page presence to jump into every loosely related group and push their latest and greatest deals, but Group admins will always be able to kick them out, same as they would with spammers using personal profiles.
It may also be a sign that Facebook is getting more confident with their spam-detecting AI – maybe, they have systems in place to detect overly promotional messaging and filter them out, or at least, refer them onto the relevant Group admin for approval.
In any case, it’s another huge bit of news from the Facebook world and if implemented correctly will have a huge impact on a variety of businesses. Watch this space.
Dan Pettit
Social Media
